Just say what you really think, James!
The man's a genius, what can I say--he's got Dad (Larry McMurtry's) flair for words and his music mentors (Bruce Hornsby and John Cougar Mellencamp's) skill at putting together a killer song.

And no one would tell him to shut up and sing--because James doesn't pull punches about what he thinks. He'll belt out what he thinks in his road-worn Texas twang. No label's telling him what to do--"Just us Kids" is McMurtry's own production.

As a kid from the 60's, I like protest songs of all kinds, but McMurtry's given up his more subtle hammer and chisel for a power tool here, for example in "God Bless America (Pat mAcdonald must die" takes Timbuk3's two hit wonder, "National Holiday" quite a few steps further:

Gonna turn up the heat 'til it comes to a boil
Then we'll go get that Arab oil
We'll suck it all up through the barrel of a gun
Everyday's the end of days for some

The song sounds good, but will it stand the test of time?

If you want to hear something that's a bit deeper and still has strong take-no-prisoners lyrics, listen to "Fire Line Road," which details the story of how an abused child copes, distancing herself from her real life hoping it's all a reality show and "they can go home in a week or so".

"Ruby and Carlos" is also another standout, talking about a May-December romance between a man who packed up his dreams and drums leaving his woman out on the farm. The story-song parallels their lives as they go through wars, aging, alcoholism, etc.

"Fire Line Road," "Ruby and Carlos", "Just us Kids" and "Hurricane Party" make this collection merit 5 stars and those are the songs you should listen to if you love McMurtry's more timeless and elegant lyrics.

Rebecca Kyle, May 2008

McMurtry's Best
I've been listening to James McMurtry since he started recording. This is his best album yet. I've listened to it almost constantly since I bought it a week ago. He writes lyrics suited to his flat vocal style, and music that takes advantage of his guitar style. I was only disappointed by one song on the album (Freeway View just does nothing for me). His ballads are written like short stories, and "Ruby and Carlos" and "Fire Line Road" are his best yet. If they don't bring tears to your eyes the first time you really listen to the lyrics you don't have a heart. His upbeat/rocking songs are angrier than he's been in the past. I'm pretty sure (to misquote Nanci Griffith another of my favorites) that James and I cancel each other out when we go to the polls here in Texas, but "Cheney's Toy" and "Ruins of the Realm" are catchy tunes, and the lyrics are clever. The best song on the album is the title track, the group of friends that never quite grow up until they find "their long hair turning grey, not so skinny, maybe not so free, not quite as many as we used to be". That tune was enough to make me pick up the phone and catch up with some college buddies I haven't talked to in fifteen years.

If you fall on the left side of the political spectrum run out and get this now. If, like me, you tend to lean to the right but you can put politics aside to listen to some of the best contemporary folk music out there today, run out and get this now.

Great Album
I just love the new CD. A lot of the songs remind me a little bit of past albums. I like it more each time I listen to it, just like all the rest of James Mcmurty's music. I have all of his CD's and they never get old.
The Governor is so cool. I love the first two seconds the most. classic James McMurty guitar with that powerful greasy grind.
(Ray Wiley Hubbard described it better re: Rays version of Chaktaw Bingo)
True Americana. Keep up the great works James.

EDGY COUNTRY BLUES WITH OUTSTANDING LYRICS
I'm not familiar with JM's music and this is the only album of his that I have. I recently bought 'Snake Farm' by Ray Wylie Hubbard, and I came across JM as I was browsing the Amazon site (although this particular album wasn't featured at that time) - and I'm very glad that I did. There's not a great deal that I can add to what other favourable reviews already say, so I will keep my review fairly short (for a change).

Although not a powerful singer, JM's vocals are fluent and his dry, laconic delivery is well suited to this type of music (edgy country blues) - in fact, there are some subtleties in his phrasing and timing that I enjoyed very much. His lyrics are some of the most potent that I've ever heard - JM 'pulls no punches'. Some of his songs deal with the all too familiar theme of fallout from political adventurism and corruption. Others are social commentaries about ordinary people living on the edge in smalltown America - people with only dreams or memories to help ease the feeling of desolation in their lives; whilst 'Fire Line Road' is a disturbing song about incestuous sexual abuse.

Most of the songs are slow to medium tempo, but 'Bayou Tortous' and 'Freeway View' are straight ahead rockers; there is one instrumental also - 'Brief Intermission'. The playing is first class - you can't fault the musicianship; there are some notable short solos : piercing electric lead guitar on 'Bayou Tortous' (James McMurtry), and searing Lap Steel on 'Fire Line Road' (Jon Dee Graham); also, some full-on boogie-woogie piano on 'Freeway View' courtesy of Ian McLagan (of the Small Faces).

With so many good songs (all penned by JM), it's difficult to choose any favourites - but if I had to, it would be these : 'Just Us Kids', 'Cheney's Toy', 'Hurricane Party', 'Ruby and Carlos', 'Fire Line Road' and 'Ruins of the Realm'.

I thought this was an album with some great edgy music and exceptionally fine lyrics; but if you are looking for 'sweetness and light', then don't come here. If JM's earlier albums are as good as this, I think I'll be buying these too; 4.5 stars.

We thought that he'd know better
You know the bitter guy who just wants to gripe about everything and take shots at everybody else? Well imagine he made an album and you have a pretty good idea about "Just Us Kids". It starts off promising enough with a nice swampy rocker (Bayou Tortous) and the title track is an engaging track about grown-up kids with unrealistic dreams about how everything is going to be better in the future. This is undoubtedly the high point of the album. Things start to fall apart with "God Bless America" but at least musically still interesting. From there the songs are not only musically uninspired but lyrics full of bitterness and whining. The political commentary is trite and unimaginative, attacking the usual boogeymen--Bush, big oil, multinationals. Even worse he seems to have disdain for the down on their luck characters in his other songs, with no trace of sympathy or irony that I can detect. Not recommended unless you are into leftist paranoid vitriol.